The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

Game

At the start of the game to determine who will be hiding and
who will be searching for those hiding, this process was done
prior to the actual game. Several children place one foot in a
circle; a person is chosen to say,
My mother and your mother were standing up close,
My mother hit your mother in the nose.
What color was the blood?
The child begins by asking this question: "My mother and your
mother were standing up close; my mother hit your mother in the
nose; what color was the blood?" While asking this question the
speaker is tapping each child's foot in the circle. The foot the
child that the final word of the questions lands on is the child
that will name the color of the blood. The caller spells the
color out given, corresponding the letter of the color with a
foot tapping while spelling.... "R-E-D" spells "red" and the
child whose foot the last letter of the color has landed on is
the appointed child to find the other children who are hiding.

Submitter comment: I played this often as a child with many neighborhood
children.

Where learned: DETROIT

Date learned: 00-00-1960